JP2013530716A - Coffee products and related methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of grinding coffee comprising the steps of: a) introducing particles of roasted coffee precursor into the grinding chamber; b) introducing particles of soluble coffee into the grinding chamber; c) gas in the grinding chamber Spraying to mobilize the roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles, and d) thereby causing self-collision of the roasted coffee precursor particles and soluble coffee in the grinding chamber Producing a ground and blended coffee product by grinding particles of the roasted coffee precursor by impacting the particles of the roasted coffee precursor with the particles of the roasted coffee precursor. Also described are methods and products incorporating ground and blended coffee products.

Description

  The present application relates to coffee products and processes for forming coffee products. The present application particularly relates to soluble coffee products incorporating a proportion of roast and ground coffee (hereinafter roasted ground coffee) and methods of forming such products.

  Instant soluble coffee products such as lyophilised instant coffee and spray dried instant coffee are well known. An example of lyophilised instant coffee is Kenco® Smooth freeze dried coffee. Such instant soluble coffee products are formed by drawing liquid coffee concentrate intermediate (commonly known as coffee liquor) from coffee beans by well-known roasting and extraction methods. Optionally, the coffee concentrate may be aromatized by adding the aroma of coffee removed from the extracted coffee intermediate, also as is also well known in the art. The coffee concentrate is then subjected to various foaming and drying steps to produce a dried granular end product that can be converted back to a coffee beverage upon the addition of hot water.

  Instant soluble coffee products are popular with consumers because the way of preparing coffee beverages is economical, fast and easy. However, there is a desire to produce instant soluble coffee products that are more reminiscent of roast ground coffee products, both in the appearance of the product before it is returned to the beverage and when drinking.

  It is known to incorporate a proportion of roasted ground coffee into a soluble coffee product, with the intention of producing more attractive instant soluble coffee products. For example, Patent Document 1 describes various soluble coffee products blended from soluble coffee components and ground coffee components.

  For soluble coffee products that incorporate roasted ground coffee ingredients, the problem discovered by the applicant is that it is difficult to properly disperse roasted ground coffee particles in a liquid coffee concentrate intermediate . Insufficient dispersion may cause the roasted ground coffee particles to clump, and additionally, the liquid coffee intermediate leads to the unhydrated area of the roasted ground coffee and this area does not "wet" enough. Become.

  In part, it is known to try to reduce the particle size of the roast and coffee to a particle size of about 30 to less than 40 microns colloid in order to try to overcome the problem of insufficient dispersion. There is. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,015 describes a flocculated instant coffee product comprising spray dried instant coffee and colloidal particles of roasted coffee with a particle size of 5 to 25 microns.

  However, in order to produce roasted ground coffee of colloidal sized particles, it is necessary to utilize special grinding methods. The reason is that when grinding the particles to such small size, the coffee oil contained in the roasted ground coffee tends to be released. The release of the coffee oil has a negative effect on the grinding process. For example, coffee particles may agglomerate, the surface of the grinding machine may become dirty, and the machine may need to be cleaned regularly, resulting in downtime.

  To overcome this problem, it is known to prefreeze the roasted coffee beans at cryogenic temperatures prior to grinding to the size of the colloid. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,015, roasted coffee beans are frozen to a temperature of about -5.degree. C. and then micronized to particles having a particle size mean or median particle size of about 350 microns or less. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,015 describes a method of quenching roasted coffee beans in liquid nitrogen and then grinding to a particle size of less than 45 microns.

  The requirement to cryogenically freeze roasted coffee beans prior to grinding increases the complexity and cost of the manufacturing process.

  Another solution that has been proposed to allow grinding of roasted coffee beans into colloids is to add additional oil to the mixture to be ground to provide additional lubricity . This may overcome the problem of soiling the surface of the grinding machine, but as a result the oil content of the ground coffee product is high and the coffee for further processing into an instant soluble coffee beverage It is not ideal for use as an intermediate. The reason is that only relatively small amounts can be added to the product without adversely affecting the product composition.

  Another solution proposed in the patent application is to add additional ingredients such as cacao mass or sugar to absorb the coffee oil released by the roasted and ground coffee. However, if there is a desire to use colloidal ground grind coffee in a pure soluble coffee beverage, this method is unsuitable.

Another known need is to try to bring the appearance of instant soluble coffee products closer to the appearance of roasted ground coffee. Generally, instant soluble coffee products are brighter in color than roasted ground coffee. Therefore, there is a desire to brown the color of instant soluble coffee products, in particular freeze-dried soluble coffee (hereinafter freeze-dried soluble coffee). The prior art method of browning the color of soluble coffee includes the use of a steam darkener as described in US Pat. Is included. In addition, CO ₂ gasification is used to brown soluble coffee products.

However, prior art approaches to browning the appearance of soluble coffee products have certain drawbacks. The rewetting of the coffee intermediate product by the addition of water or the use of steam, or the use of a gas such as CO ₂ can change the density and solubility of the final product.

International Publication No. 2010/005604 Pamphlet U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,257 GB2022394 EP1631151 EP0700640 EP0090561

  As used herein, unless the context requires otherwise, the term "roasted coffee" means coffee material produced by roasting green coffee beans. This material may be in the form of roasted coffee beans or in any other form produced by subsequent method steps such as grinding, decaffeination, pressing and the like. Specific examples of roasted coffee include roasted coffee beans, roasted expeller cake, roasted and sliced coffee.

  As used herein, unless the context requires otherwise, the term "roasted ground coffee" refers to a roasted coffee material that has undergone a grinding process to reduce the particle size of the original roasted coffee material. Means Again, unless otherwise required by context, the grinding process can include one or more of grinding, shredding, crushing and crushing.

  As used herein, the term "Helos particle size distribution D90" refers to the volume distribution of particle size obtained with a HelosTM laser light diffraction particle size analyzer available from Sympatec, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. Means 90th percentile value. That is, D90 is a value relating to the distribution such that 90% of the particle volume is the size of the feature equal to or less than this value. This value can be obtained for dry samples (referred to as "dry Helos") as well as for wet samples (referred to as "wet Helos"), for example after mixing of particles and water. The same applies to D50, the value of which represents the 50th percentile value of the particle size distribution.

  Helos is a laser diffraction sensor system in which one evaluation method is applied over the entire measurement range of 0.1 μm to 8750 μm. This instrument is designed for particle size analysis of dry and wet samples, ie powders, suspensions, emulsions or sprays.

  For wet Helos measurements, a beverage is made up to a concentration of 1.5% (3 g solids in 200 ml water) using 100 ° C. water and a cuvette (PTFE coated, magnetic stirrer operated at 1000 RPM) Target at an optical density of between 20% and 25%. When using ultrasound, the titanium integrated sonication finger can be manually lowered into the cuvette.

  There are three options for measuring particle size with the Helos system.

  Dry particle size distribution is measured using HELOS / KF, R4 lens, RODOS / M dispersion system and VIBRI feeder from Sympatec GmbH.

  The wet particle size distribution is measured using a HELOS / KF, R3 lens, cuvette dispersion system manufactured by Sympatec GmbH.

  In the present specification, when the color displayed in “La unit” is described, Dr. Dr. L. with a 640 nm internal filter available from Lange GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany. Means of unit display measured using Lange® Color Reflectance Meter Model LK-100 using the visible light reflectance of a sample of roasted ground coffee or soluble coffee. The La scale is based on the Hunter 1948 L, a, b color space in which the L component measures "brightness", L = 0 is black, L = 100 is full diffuse color is there. Thus, the lower the La number, the browner the sample measured.

  In a first aspect, the present disclosure describes a lyophilised soluble coffee product comprising 5 to 30% roasted ground coffee by dry weight and 70 to 95% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent, of roast ground coffee The dry Helos particle size distribution D90 is less than 100 microns and the color of the freeze-dried soluble coffee product is 13 to 30 La units at Lange scale.

  Preferably, the lyophilised soluble coffee product comprises 10 to 20% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 80 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent. In one example, the lyophilised soluble coffee product comprises 15% dry ground coffee roasted coffee and 85% dry weight equivalent soluble coffee.

  Although freeze-dried soluble coffee products have been described as comprising both roast ground coffee and soluble coffee, it is understood that this does not exclude the possibility that the product also contains additional ingredients. I will.

  It has surprisingly been found that incorporation of small particle size roasted ground coffee into a freeze-dried soluble coffee product results in a browner final product that more visually crawls the roasted ground coffee.

  By comparison, the color of prior art freeze-dried soluble coffee products generally exceeds 25 La units. Even using prior art methods of gasification, it was not possible to produce final products of color less than 21 La units.

  Furthermore, the color of prior art roasted ground coffee is generally 6 to 13 La units.

  Preferably, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the roasted ground coffee is less than or equal to 50 microns, more preferably less than or equal to 30 microns.

  Preferably, the color of the lyophilised soluble coffee product is 16 to 25 La units on the Lange scale. More preferably, the color of the lyophilized soluble coffee product is 17 to 20 La units on the Lange scale.

  Preferably, the density of the lyophilised soluble coffee product is 185 to 265 g / l. More preferably, the density of the lyophilised soluble coffee product is between 205 and 235 g / l. In one example, the density of the lyophilized soluble coffee product is 225 g / liter.

  Advantageously, the browning of the final product by the addition of roasted ground coffee particles makes it possible to produce the final product that achieves the density level and solubility level expected by the consumer.

  Preferably, the particle size range of the lyophilised soluble coffee product is 0.3 to 3.5 mm. More preferably, the particle size range of the lyophilized soluble coffee product is 0.3 to 2.5 mm. In one example, the particle size range of the lyophilized soluble coffee product is 0.3 to 1.5 mm.

  The lyophilised product can be ground and sieved to a particle size that allows roast roasted coffee products to be milled.

  Roasted ground coffee can be obtained by known methods, such as cryogenic grinding of roasted coffee beans, which are well known in the art and described, for example, in the above-mentioned US Pat. However, preferably, roasted ground coffee is obtained by the novel grinding method of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure which will be described further below.

  Preferably, the lyophilised soluble coffee product is produced by the novel process of the second aspect of the present disclosure which will be described further below.

In a second aspect, the present disclosure is a method of forming a lyophilized soluble coffee product, comprising:
i) forming a concentrated coffee extract;
ii) frothing and prefrozen the concentrated coffee extract to form a froth to form a prefrozen coffee intermediate;
iii) Foaming to freeze the pre-frozen coffee intermediate to form a frozen coffee intermediate;
iv) Grinding and sieving the frozen coffee intermediate to form a ground coffee intermediate;
v) drying the ground coffee intermediate to form a lyophilised soluble coffee product;
Ground and blended coffee intermediates are incorporated prior to step ii) and / or step iii)
The ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 10 to 80% by weight dry roasted coffee and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by weight
Describe the method.

In a third aspect, the present disclosure is a method of forming a spray-dried soluble coffee (hereinafter spray-dried soluble coffee) product, comprising:
i) forming a concentrated coffee extract;
ii) frothing the concentrated coffee extract to form a frothed coffee intermediate;
iii) optionally filtering and homogenizing the frothed coffee intermediate to form a filtered and homogenized coffee intermediate;
iv) spray-drying the frothed coffee intermediate or the filtered and homogenized coffee intermediate to form a spray-dried soluble coffee product;
Ground and blended coffee intermediates are incorporated prior to step ii) and / or step iv)
The ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 10 to 80% by weight dry roasted coffee and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by weight
Describe the method.

  Surprisingly, incorporation of ground and blended coffee intermediates (formed from roasted ground coffee particles and soluble coffee particles) as part of the process of forming soluble coffee results in the concentration of the whole concentrated coffee extract. Throughout, it was found that the roasted and ground particles dispersed very well.

  Preferably, the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect comprises 10 to 70% by weight dry ground coffee and 30 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. More preferably, the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect comprises 15 to 50% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 50 to 85% soluble coffee by dry weight. In one example, the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect comprises 50% by weight dry ground coffee and 50% by weight dry soluble coffee.

  Although the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect has been described as including both roast ground coffee and soluble coffee, it is possible that this intermediate may also contain additional ingredients. It will be understood that it does not exclude sex.

  Preferably, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect is 40 microns or less. More preferably, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the ground and blended coffee intermediate of the second or third aspect is less than or equal to 30 microns.

  Preferably, in the method of the second or third aspect, the freeze-dried coffee product or the spray-dried coffee product comprises 5 to 30% by weight dry roasted coffee and 70 to 95% by dry weight equivalent. Includes soluble coffee. More preferably, the lyophilised coffee product or the spray-dried coffee product comprises 10 to 20% by weight dry roasted ground coffee and 80 to 90% soluble coffee on a dry weight equivalent. In one example, the freeze-dried or spray-dried coffee product comprises 15% by weight dry ground coffee and 85% dry weight equivalent soluble coffee.

  Although freeze-dried or spray-dried coffee products have been described as including both roast ground coffee and soluble coffee, this does not exclude the possibility that this product also contains additional ingredients It will be understood.

  The ground and blended coffee intermediate soluble coffee may comprise spray-dried instant coffee, freeze-dried instant coffee, or mixtures thereof.

  The total coffee solids concentration of the ground coffee intermediate prior to drying of the above method of forming a lyophilised soluble coffee product may be between 52% and 63%.

  The total coffee solids concentration of the coffee intermediate prior to drying of the above method of forming a spray-dried soluble coffee product can be 52% or more and 63% or less.

  In any case, the total coffee solids concentration may preferably be 56% to 60%.

  The second and third aspects of the present disclosure also apply to the soluble coffee product produced by the method described above.

  Furthermore, the second and third aspects of the present disclosure also apply to coffee beverages formed using the soluble coffee product described above.

In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure is a coffee grinding method comprising:
a) introducing into the grinding chamber particles of roasted coffee precursor;
b) introducing soluble coffee particles into the grinding chamber;
c) injecting a gas into the grinding chamber to mobilize the roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles;
d) This allows the roasted coffee precursor particles to be reduced by self-collision of the roasted coffee precursor particles and collisions of soluble coffee particles and roasted coffee precursor particles in the grinding chamber. And C. to produce a ground and blended coffee product.

  Advantageously, such comminution of the roasted coffee precursor is an excellent means of reducing the particle size of the roasted coffee and has previously been achieved by the release of coffee oil from the roasted coffee precursor. It turned out that there were no adverse effects that had occurred. While not wishing to be bound by theory, when particles of soluble coffee are incorporated into the grinding chamber, the soluble coffee may be some, preferably most or all, of the coffee oil released during grinding. It is understood to absorb.

  Advantageously, the particles of soluble coffee are actively used as comminuting agents in the grinding chamber by colliding the particles of roasted coffee precursor with the particles of soluble coffee. Naturally, there will be some self-collision, in other words the comminution of the roasted coffee precursor by the particles of the roasted coffee precursor colliding with the particles of the other roasted coffee precursor. However, it has been found that the additional comminution produced by colliding the roasted coffee precursor with the particles of soluble coffee enhances the grinding activity. This is particularly surprising in view of the fact that the soluble coffee particles are not particularly hard.

  If desired, mobilized roasted coffee particles may be directed to impact additional surfaces of the grinding chamber, such as, for example, an impact plate, to produce an additional grinding effect. However, the use of such a collision is not essential to the method.

  The roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles may be mixed together prior to introduction into the grinding chamber. For example, the ingredients may be batch mixed in dry form and introduced into the grinding chamber via a common hopper feed.

  Alternatively, particles of roasted coffee precursor and particles of soluble coffee may be introduced separately into the grinding chamber. For example, separate hoppers may be provided for roasted and soluble coffee precursors.

  Another possibility is the use of a single feed line, which may be used to jet one precursor into the grinding chamber. This acts to entrain the other precursor into the stream.

  Preferably, the particles of roasted coffee precursor in step a) are at a temperature between 5 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

  Preferably, the grinding chamber is not subjected to cryogenic cooling during steps b), c) and d).

  A particular advantage of aspects of the present disclosure is that cryogenic cooling of the roasted coffee precursor to prevent release of coffee oil is unnecessary even when reduced to a colloidal particle size by grinding It means that there is. The coffee precursor may optionally undergo some pre-low temperature cooling prior to grinding, by cooling to a temperature as low as, for example, 5 degrees Celsius. However, the roasted coffee precursor may be used at ambient temperature (generally 20 to 25 degrees Celsius).

  Furthermore, it is not essential to cool the physical components of the comminution device (chamber walls, feed lines etc). However, it may be desirable to cryogenically cool the propellant gas to help remove water during the grinding process. Cryogenic cooling of the gas will result in some cooling of the grinding device. However, this is generally much lower than the result of cooling during cryogenic cooling. The gas may be at a temperature between -20 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature. In one example, a gas of -16 degrees Celsius was used.

  The lack of vigorous cooling (or the use of minimal cooling as described above) significantly reduces the complexity of the machine required for the grinding process, speeds up the process time and reduces the costs associated with the grinding phase of the process .

  Preferably, the ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) comprises 10 to 80% by dry weight roast ground coffee and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. More preferably, the ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) comprises 10 to 70% by dry weight roast ground coffee and 30 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. Even more preferably, the ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) comprises 15 to 50% by dry weight roast ground coffee and 50 to 85% soluble coffee by dry weight. In one example, the ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) comprises 50% by weight dry ground coffee and 50% by weight dry soluble coffee. It is possible to grind and produce products containing roasted ground coffee in excess of 70% by dry weight, as described above, when the feed gas is cryogenically cooled to a temperature of about -20 degrees Celsius is there. Otherwise, it is preferable to limit the proportion of roasted ground coffee in the product to at most 70%.

  Although ground and blended coffee products have been described as including both roast ground coffee and soluble coffee, it is understood that this does not exclude the possibility that the product also contains additional ingredients. Will.

  Preferably, in step d), as a result of grinding, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the ground and blended coffee product is less than or equal to 40 microns. More preferably, in step d), as a result of grinding, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the ground and blended coffee product is less than or equal to 30 microns.

  The roasted coffee precursor particles may be whole roasted coffee beans or coarse roasted coffee beans. This method allows the application of whole roasted coffee beans and simplifies the method route. However, if desired, an initial roughing of the roasted coffee beans can be performed before inserting the roasted coffee into the grinding chamber.

  The soluble coffee particles may be spray dried instant coffee particles, freeze dried instant coffee particles, or mixtures thereof.

  It may be advantageous to use a type of soluble coffee that is consistent with the type of final product in which the ground and blended coffee product is to be utilized. For example, if the ground and blended coffee product is to be finally incorporated into a freeze-dried coffee product, the soluble coffee product to be used as the active substance to be ground in the grinding chamber is selected and also freeze-dried It can be soluble coffee. However, the type of soluble coffee used in the method may be mixed and changed as desired.

  Preferably, the gas injected into the grinding chamber in step b) is nitrogen, air or a mixture thereof.

  The grinding chamber can form part of a jet mill. Examples of such mills include fluid bed opposed jet mills, Jet-O-Mizer (TM) mills, vortex mills, spiral mills and the like.

  The fourth aspect of the present disclosure also applies to the ground and blended coffee products produced by the method described above.

  The ground and blended coffee product can be used as a ground and blended coffee intermediate in the methods of the second and third aspects of the present disclosure described above. Alternatively, ground and blended coffee products can be used in the manufacture of further coffee-based products. In addition, the ground and blended coffee products can be packaged and sold as an end product on its own.

  The present disclosure also applies to containers containing the above-described ground and blended coffee product or the above-described soluble coffee product or the above-described lyophilised soluble coffee product.

  The container may be a bottle, jar, can, refill pack, sachet, stick pack, filter bag, or a container suitable for use in a beverage preparation machine, such as a soft pad at least partially formed of a filter material, or a substance It can be a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible cartridge, etc., formed of a material that is also air impermeable and water impermeable.

  The container contains one or more additional beverage ingredients, such as natural or artificial sweeteners, dairy-based creamers or non-dairy-based creamers, lactose, vegetable fats, whey proteins, emulsifiers, stabilizers, It may further contain modified starches, carriers, fillers, flavoring agents, coloring agents, nutrients, preservatives, flow agents, foaming agents and the like.

  The present disclosure is at least one container suitable for use in a beverage preparation machine, such as a flexible pad at least partially formed of a filter material, or a substantially air and water impermeable material. It also applies to the beverage preparation machine in combination with a formed hard, semi-rigid or soft cartridge etc, the at least one container comprising the ground and blended coffee product as described above or the soluble coffee product as described above or as described above. Contain dry soluble coffee products.

  The present disclosure also applies to a method of making a beverage comprising mixing the ground and blended coffee product as described above or the soluble coffee product as described above or the freeze-dried soluble coffee product as described above with an aqueous liquid, preferably hot water. .

  The mixing can be done by a beverage preparation machine. Alternatively, it may be mixed manually in the container.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It is the schematic of the mechanism of a jet mill. FIG. 10 is a graph of particle size in microns versus Helos particle size distribution D90. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a prior art method of forming freeze-dried soluble coffee and spray-dried soluble coffee. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of forming a lyophilized soluble coffee product according to the present disclosure. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a variation of the method of FIG. 4a. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating another method of forming a lyophilized soluble coffee product according to the present disclosure. Fig. 5b is a flow diagram illustrating a variation of the method of Fig. 5a. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of forming a spray dried soluble coffee product according to the present disclosure. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating another method of forming a spray dried soluble coffee product according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a graph showing color reduction in La for various freeze-dried soluble coffee products. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of a container. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of a container. It is a figure which shows the example of a beverage preparation machine. FIG. 1 is a scanning electron micrograph of various sample products. FIG. 1 is a scanning electron micrograph of various sample products. FIG. 1 is a scanning electron micrograph of various sample products. FIG. 1 is a scanning electron micrograph of various sample products.

  In one aspect of the present disclosure, ground and blended coffee products can be produced by grinding roasted coffee precursors in a grinding apparatus such as a jet mill. A preferred jet mill is the Jet-O-Mizer (TM) mill available from Fluid Energy Processing and Equipment Company, Telford, PA, USA. Another suitable mill is the Hosokawa Alpine Fluid Bed Opposed Jet Mill-AFG available from Hosakawa Micron Ltd, Runcorn, Cheshire, UK. Other suitable grinding devices include mills called spiral mills and vortex mills.

  A schematic of the mechanism principle of the jet mill is shown in FIG. The mill 1 comprises a grinding chamber 2 with a feed 3, a series of gas inlets 4, a size classification wheel 8 and a product outlet 5.

  The grinding chamber 2 of FIG. 1 takes the form of a generally cylindrical body having a gas inlet 4 spaced at its lower end along the periphery and having a product outlet 5 located near the upper end.

  The feed port 3 is in communication with the grinding chamber 2 to provide the raw material precursor (s) in the form of whole roasted coffee beans or ground roasted coffee beans and soluble coffee particles in the form of soluble coffee particles. It is possible to supply the grinding chamber 2 tangentially at a position or at a position near the circumference.

  The size classification wheel 8 is located near the upper end of the grinding chamber 2 and is adapted to receive the crushed particles from the chamber 2 and to pass the particles to the product outlet 5 with the desired particle size.

  The roasted coffee precursor and soluble coffee precursor are dry batch mixed in the required proportions and then deposited in a hopper in communication with the feed port 3 as schematically indicated by arrow A in FIG. The feed gas can be supplied to entrain the precursor from the hopper and be delivered to the chamber 2.

  In use, compressed gas is supplied to the plurality of gas inlets 4. The gas inlet 4 is preferably tangential to the chamber 2 at an angle to the radial direction of the chamber 2 so that the gas flow passing through the gas inlet 4 generates a swirling spiral gas flow in the chamber 2 Arranged in the direction.

  In use, in order to grind the roasted coffee precursor, the precursor is fed into the chamber 2 and the high velocity stream of gas entering the chamber 2 through the gas inlet 4 (and also the feed opening 3 with the precursor The feed gas entering through (if used) allows it to move within the chamber 2.

  Grinding occurs due to the high velocity collisions between the roasted coffee precursor and the soluble coffee, which results in the roasted coffee precursor being micronized. As the particle size decreases, smaller particle sizes ascend chamber 2 into size classification wheel 8. The size classification wheel 8 acts to classify the receiving particles and to pass particles below the desired size towards the product outlet 5. The particles leave the mill, as schematically indicated by the arrow B in FIG. Larger particles are maintained in the chamber and undergo further grinding. Thus, the jet mill also serves to classify the particle size discharge passing through the product outlet 5.

  Depending on the type of jet mill, the arrangement and structure of the grinding chamber 2, the gas inlet 4 and the product outlet 5 may be changed.

  The gas supplied to the gas inlet 4 and the feed gas for transporting the roasted coffee precursor into the chamber 2 may be air, but is preferably an inert gas such as nitrogen. The feed gas may be dehumidified and / or cryogenically cooled to help remove moisture generated from the chamber 2 during grinding. Dehumidification may be, for example, through the use of a desiccant dehumidifier or a compressor dehumidifier. Additionally or alternatively, the gas supplied to the gas inlet 4 may be cryogenically cooled.

  The roasted coffee precursor may be whole roasted coffee beans, or may be coffee beans having a particle size of greater than 100 microns, coarsely ground using conventional grinding methods.

  The soluble coffee may be a spray dried instant coffee product or a freeze dried instant coffee product. The particle size of the soluble coffee product prior to milling in a jet mill is generally between 100 and 350 microns for spray dried soluble coffee and 0.1 to 3.5 mm for freeze dried soluble coffee.

  Before or during the grinding process, the mill 1 does not have to undergo cryogenic cooling. Rather, the mill 1 is operated at a substantially ambient temperature which is preferably present where the mill 1 is located.

  As mentioned above, the feed gas and / or the gas supplied to the gas inlet may optionally be cryogenically cooled, so that the components of the apparatus may be slightly cooled. For example, the cooling gas supplied to the gas inlet 4, for example -16 degrees Celsius, especially when the ratio of dry weight of roast ground coffee to dry weight of soluble coffee in the ground and blended coffee product exceeds 50%. It has been found that the use of gas cooled to a temperature can beneficially increase jet mill throughput. In particular, this makes it possible to achieve a dry weight fraction of roasted ground coffee in the mixture of up to 80%. The results shown below were obtained using a Roto-Jet 15 mill available from Fluid Energy Processing and Equipment Company, Telford, PA, USA. The mill was fed with 100% arabica beans roasted to 8 La. The pressure to the gas inlet 4 was 7 bar and the gas supplied was dry air cooled to +5 degrees Celsius as the first sample and to -16 degrees Celsius as the second sample. For both samples, the jet mill classifier was adjusted to produce a particle size distribution D90 of 30 microns.

  As can be seen from the table, using air at a temperature of -16 degrees Celsius significantly increases jet mill throughput while still maintaining the required particle size distribution.

  However, it should be noted that this is still relatively hot compared to the prior art cryogenic cooling methods, where the roasted coffee precursor and soluble coffee are subjected to cryogenic cooling prior to entering the jet mill It should be noted that there is no.

  Roasted coffee precursors do not undergo cryogenic cooling or cryogenic pretreatment prior to grinding. Generally, the temperature of the roasted coffee precursor when filled into the hopper 6 will be in the range of 5 to 30 ° C. The roasted coffee precursor may be at room temperature around the grinding device.

  The ground and blended coffee product obtained from the product outlet 5 comprises 20 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight and 10 to 80% roast ground coffee by dry weight. Preferably, the ground and blended coffee product obtained from product outlet 5 comprises 30 to 90% by dry weight of soluble coffee and 10 to 70% by weight dry ground coffee. More preferably, the ground and blended coffee product comprises 50 to 85% soluble coffee by dry weight and 15 to 50% roast ground coffee by dry weight. In one example, the ground and blended coffee product comprises 50% soluble coffee by dry weight and 50% roast ground coffee by dry weight.

  After grinding, the particle size distribution of the ground and blended coffee product has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 40 microns or less, more preferably 30 microns or less.

EXAMPLE FIG. 2 represents the dry Helos particle size distribution D 90 (and also the wet Helos value) of the ground and blended coffee products produced according to the present disclosure as a function of the dry weight percentage of roast ground coffee present. Show. As can be seen, from 10 to 70% roasted ground coffee, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 is less than 40 microns. When the roasted ground coffee exceeds 70%, the dry Helos particle size distribution D90 increases harmfully. (As mentioned above, this can be improved by cryogenically cooling the feed gas to the jet mill). With less than 50% roasted ground coffee, dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of less than 30 microns is achieved.

  In another example, a blend of Brazilian arabica beans and Colombian arabica beans was roasted to a color of 11.5 La and pre-ground to a D50 of 500 microns. The resulting roasted coffee precursor was dry batch mixed with arabica spray dried coffee in a ratio of 50% roasted coffee precursor to 50% spray dried coffee precursor. The resulting blend was then placed in a Hosokawa Alpine Fluid Bed Opposed Jet Mill-AFG and milled at various feed and classifier speeds. The following results were obtained.

  Advantageously, as can be seen from the table, for each example, a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of less than 30 microns was obtainable at a range of feed rates and classifier speeds.

  Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of producing a novel soluble instant coffee product incorporating a ground and blended coffee product containing a proportion of roast ground coffee.

  Both the prior art methods of forming spray-dried soluble coffee and the prior art methods of forming freeze-dried soluble coffee start with the step of producing a coffee concentrate intermediate from coffee beans by roasting and extraction methods Be done. FIG. 3 illustrates the steps required. The green coffee beans are roasted and then ground and then added to water to extract the coffee bean ingredients. Optionally, the aroma of coffee may be removed at this point to produce a liquid aroma product. The extraction liquid is then placed, for example, in a percolation column and concentrated to produce a concentrated extract commonly known as coffee liquor. Optionally, at this point, a previously prepared aroma product may be incorporated to produce an aromatized coffee concentrate intermediate. Such methods are well known.

  The remainder of the procedure depends on whether the soluble product is spray dried or lyophilized. For spray dried soluble coffee, the remaining method steps include frothing, filtering and homogenizing, and spray drying to produce a spray dried product. For lyophilised soluble coffee, the remaining method steps include lathering and prefrozen, freezing, grinding and sieving, and vacuum drying.

  According to the present disclosure, these known methods are modified by the incorporation of ground and blended coffee intermediates containing a proportion of roasted ground coffee. In each of the methods described below, the ground and blended coffee intermediate itself may contain 10 to 80% by weight dry roasted coffee and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. Preferably, the ground and blended coffee intermediate contains 10 to 70% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 30 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. More preferably, the ground and blended coffee intermediate contains 15 to 50% by weight dry ground coffee and 50 to 85% by weight dry soluble coffee. In one example, the ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 50% soluble coffee by dry weight and 50% roast ground coffee by dry weight.

  In any of the following methods, the ground and soluble coffee component of the coffee intermediate may be obtained from spray dried instant coffee, freeze dried instant coffee, or a mixture thereof.

  The dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of the ground and blended coffee intermediate is preferably 40 microns or less, more preferably 30 microns or less.

  In each of the methods described below, the final coffee product may comprise 5 to 30% by weight dry roasted ground coffee and 70 to 95% dry weight equivalent soluble coffee. (For example, a soluble coffee end product containing 15% dry ground weight roast ground coffee and 85% dry weight equivalent soluble coffee is a liquid coffee concentrate and 50% dry weight ground grind coffee and dry Obtaining dry, ground and blended coffee intermediates having 50% by weight soluble coffee by mixing at a ratio of 70:30 coffee concentrate intermediate to ground and blended coffee intermediates Can.

  In a preferred option, the ground and blended coffee intermediate is produced using the novel method of the present disclosure as described above with reference to FIG. However, ground and blended coffee intermediates having the required proportions of roasted ground coffee and soluble coffee can be used even if they are produced by other means.

  FIG. 4a shows a first lyophilization method for forming a lyophilised soluble coffee product 25. The coffee concentrate intermediate 20 (scented or non-scented) is mixed with the ground and blended coffee intermediate 30 using a high shear mixer 50 prior to the lathering and prefreezing step 21. Suitable mixers include high shear batch mixers and high shear in-line mixers available from Silverson Machines Ltd, Chesham, UK. The mixture is then frothed and pre-frozen in step 21 and then fed to the belt freezer 22 for further freezing steps. Next, in step 23, the frozen intermediate is ground and sieved to a particle size range of 0.3 to 3.5 mm, preferably 0.3 to 2.5 mm, more preferably 0.3 to 1.5 mm. Do. Next, at step 24, the intermediate is vacuum dried to produce a lyophilized soluble coffee product 25. The product can then be filled into the container.

  A variation of the method of FIG. 4a is shown in FIG. 4b. This method is as described above up to step 22 with reference to FIG. 4a. However, in step 23, the frozen intermediate is ground and sieved to a larger particle size range of 1.0 to 3.5 mm. Next, at step 24, the intermediate is vacuum dried to produce a lyophilized soluble coffee intermediate product 25a. At step 26, the lyophilised soluble coffee intermediate product 25a receives a second grind and is reduced to a particle size range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm to produce a lyophilised soluble coffee product 25. The product can then be filled into the container.

  FIG. 5a shows a second lyophilization method for forming a lyophilised soluble coffee product 25. This method is the same as the first method described above with reference to FIG. 4a, except that the ground and blended coffee product 30 is incorporated after the frothing and prefreezing step 21. Again, high shear mixers 50 of the type described above may be used, and in other respects the method is the same as the first method.

  A variation of the method of FIG. 5a is shown in FIG. 5b. This method is as described above up to step 22 with reference to FIG. 5a. However, in step 23, the frozen intermediate is ground and sieved to a larger particle size range of 1.0 to 3.5 mm. Next, at step 24, the intermediate is vacuum dried to produce a lyophilized soluble coffee intermediate product 25a. At step 26, the lyophilised soluble coffee intermediate product 25a receives a second grind and is reduced to a particle size range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm to produce a lyophilised soluble coffee product 25. The product can then be filled into the container.

  The advantage of the modified method of FIGS. 4b and 5b is that the particle size during vacuum drying was found to be larger than the particle size in the method of FIGS. 4a and 5a, thereby reducing product loss during drying. It is. It has been found that in the method of FIGS. 4a and 5a, when vacuum drying extremely small particle sizes, product loss may occur because the particles are carried away with the water of the evaporating intermediate There is.

  A further advantage of each of the lyophilization methods of the present disclosure described above is that, surprisingly, better lyophilization performance is achieved and higher concentrations of soluble solids are frozen when including ground roasted ground coffee It has been found that it can be incorporated into the product before drying.

  The term "lyophilization performance" is to avoid quality problems of the dried product, in particular meltback and sticky lumps. "Melt back" is the inability to remove water from each granular structure by sublimation during lyophilization, and "sticky mass" refers to individual granules throughout the coffee bed tray. It results from the inability to remove the sublimated water vapor.

  A common lyophilization method is to freeze the frothed coffee extract on a belt in a cold room. Once frozen, the coffee slabs are granulated, screened, sized to a specific granule size and then dried in a lyophilizer.

  The processing capacity of the lyophilizer is limited by its dewatering capacity. The amount of water in the frozen coffee particles supplied to the lyophilizer is determined by the concentration of total coffee solids in the liquid coffee extract, when frozen. The higher the concentration of coffee solids, the lower the water content and thus the less the lyophilizer uses the processing capacity to remove the water.

  Thus, for a given dewatering capacity of the lyophilizer, an increase in product throughput may be contemplated by increasing the concentration of solids fed to the dryer. However, it has already been found that higher concentrations adversely affect the quality of the product, such as the formation of product meltback and cohesive agglomerates of agglomerated granules. Due to such limitations, it has previously been recognized that the total coffee solids content of the feed extract should not exceed about 50%.

However, according to the method and product of the present disclosure, it has been found that it is possible to feed the lyophilizer with a total coffee solids concentration of up to 63% while avoiding meltback and sticky lumps. . For example, pure soluble coffee with 15% (by dry weight) of finely ground roasted coffee with a particle size D50 of 30 to 40 microns and a D99 of less than 60 microns with excellent extracts of 56% and 60% concentration It can be formed at 85% solids (by dry weight).
EXAMPLES The following lyophilised samples were prepared to illustrate the improved drying performance and product quality. In each case, the extract of the main component was made by redissolving the lyophilised granules and adding water to make the required concentration of coffee solids. Drying was performed under the same conditions for all samples. That is, the dryer was a Ray 2 model available from GEA Niro of Soeborg, Denmark. The samples were placed in standard trays and dried with identical heating profile, initial product weight, particle size of feed to dryer.

Sample 1-1 (comparison)
The final extract has a coffee solids concentration of 56% (pure soluble coffee solids only) and is bubbled with air, frozen, ground and sieved to a size between 0.7 mm and 3.35 mm and finally Vacuum dried. The cooled coffee granules were frozen at -40 <0> C and vacuum dried for 3.0 hours or 3.4 hours.

Sample 2-1
The final extract is made up of soluble coffee solids with a coffee solids concentration of 56% (the main extract is the raw material, and coffee grounds of the raw material, which was added before the ground roast ground coffee was ground, The final product is dry ground weight 15% roast ground coffee and dry weight equivalent 85% soluble coffee)), air bubbled, frozen, ground and sieved between 0.7 mm and 3.35 mm And finally dried. The cooled coffee granules were frozen at -40 <0> C and vacuum dried for 3.0 hours or 3.4 hours.

  The presence of sticky mass was quantified by sieving using a 3.35 mm size sieve and the following results were obtained.

  As can be seen from the table, the presence of finely ground roasted ground coffee substantially eliminates the presence of sticky lumps.

  In addition to the sieving comparison, a direct visual comparison with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) picture was made. FIG. 12 shows a SEM picture of the dried coffee product of sample 1-1, while FIG. 13 shows a SEM picture of the dried coffee product of sample 2-1.

  As can be seen from the photographs, sample 2-1 containing finely ground roasted ground coffee has less disintegrated parts in its structure as compared to sample 1-1 of pure soluble solids.

Sample 1-2 (comparison)
The final extract has a coffee solids concentration of 60% (pure soluble coffee solids only) and is bubbled with air, frozen, ground and sieved to a size between 0.7 mm and 3.35 mm and finally Vacuum dried. The cooled coffee granules were frozen at -40C and vacuum dried for 3.0 hours.

Sample 2-2
The final extract is made with soluble coffee solids at a coffee solids concentration of 60% (the main extract is the raw material, and coffee grounds of the raw material of ground roast ground coffee, which is added before foaming, The final product is dry ground weight 15% roast ground coffee and dry weight equivalent 85% soluble coffee)), air bubbled, frozen, ground and sieved between 0.7 mm and 3.35 mm And finally dried. The cooled coffee granules were frozen at -40C and vacuum dried for 3.0 hours.

  Again, the presence of the sticky mass was quantified by sieving using a 3.35 mm size sieve and the following results were obtained.

  Direct visual comparisons with scanning electron microscope (SEM) pictures were made. FIG. 14 shows a SEM picture of the dried coffee product of sample 1-2, while FIG. 15 shows a SEM picture of the dried coffee product of sample 2-2.

  As can be seen from the photographs, Sample 2-2 containing finely ground roasted ground coffee has less disintegrated structure in comparison with Sample 1-2.

  Yet another beneficial point is that grinding a frozen coffee extract containing finely ground roasted ground coffee produces a fine powder that is formed as compared to a frozen coffee extract formed from pure soluble coffee It turned out that the performance of grind improves in the point that it is few.

For the grind, the same machine, the same method and the same parameters were used. That is, it was set to 0.7-3.35 mm by 8 mm and the screen by a screen by the screen by a grinding machine.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a first spray drying method for forming a spray dried soluble coffee product 44. As shown in FIG. Coffee concentrate intermediate 20 (scented or non-scented) is mixed with ground and blended coffee intermediate 30 using high shear mixer 50 prior to frothing step 41. A high shear mixer 50 of the type described above can be used. The mixture is then bubbled in step 41 and then filtered in step 42 and optionally homogenized. The intermediate is then spray dried at step 43 to produce a spray dried soluble coffee product 44. The product can then be filled into the container.

  FIG. 7 shows a second spray drying method for forming the spray dried soluble coffee product 44. This method is the same as the first spray drying method described above, except that the ground and blended coffee product 30 is incorporated into the dry mixture. Specifically, the spray dryer (as known in the art) comprises a fines collector for recycling the fines of coffee powder. At step 51, the ground and blended coffee intermediate 30 is fed into the recycle line from the fines collector so that the intermediate 30 is incorporated into the product during the spray drying stage.

  Ground and blended coffee intermediates, formed by grinding in a jet mill, were found to have very good dispersion properties in liquids (such as hot water or concentrated liquid coffee extract).

EXAMPLES In order to illustrate the beneficial dispersion quality of jet milled and blended coffee intermediates, the following samples were prepared as follows.

Sample 1 (comparison)
100% arabica beans roasted to a color of 8.5 La and then cryogenically ground using prior art procedures. The dry weight of the resulting ground material is then 15% dry mixed with 85% arabica based dry soluble coffee by hand-final composition, 15% dry ground roast coffee, dry weight 85% soluble coffee in equivalent weight.

Sample 2
15% arabica beans roasted to a color of 8.5La and then jet milled with 85% arabica based soluble soluble coffee-final composition, 15% by weight dry roasted coffee, dry weight equivalent 85% soluble coffee.

Sample 3
30% arabica beans ground in a jet mill with 70% arabica based dry soluble coffee to roast to a color of 8.5 La and then form a blended intermediate. 50% dry weight by weight dry blended with 50% arabica based dry soluble coffee by hand, 50% dry weight by weight blended intermediate-final composition, 15% dry weight roast ground coffee, dry weight equivalent 85% soluble coffee.

Sample 4
50% arabica beans ground in a jet mill with 50% arabica based dry soluble coffee to roast to a color of 8.5 La and then form a blended intermediate. 30% dry weight by weight dry blended with 70% arabica based dry soluble coffee by hand, 30% dry weight by weight blended intermediate-final composition, dry weight 15% roast ground coffee, dry weight equivalent 85% soluble coffee.

  Next, a beverage was prepared from the sample and the dry Helos particle size distribution and the wet Helos (with and without ultrasound) particle size distribution were measured with the following results.

  The wet Helos of the stirred sample represents the particle size as originally formulated, and the "aggregates" of the material are formed by insufficient dispersion of the finely ground, roasted coffee particles in water. If the value is higher.

  Aggregate formation can be determined by comparison to wet Helos measurements with ultrasound. The ultrasound acts to break up the aggregates (if present).

  As can be seen from the results, Comparative Sample 1 formed with cryogenic ground ground roasted coffee has dispersion characteristics even though the total content of roast ground coffee of this product is the same as Samples 2 to 4 Insufficient, there was significant condensation (as evidenced by the significant difference between the wet Helos values with ultrasound and the wet Helos without ultrasound). By comparison, samples 2 and 3 of the present disclosure are much better dispersed if the ground and blended coffee intermediate has 15 or 30% roast ground coffee by dry weight. Sample 4, which contains 50% dry ground roast coffee, shows some improvement over the prior art composition, but no improvement over samples 2 and 3 is seen.

  Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to novel freeze-dried soluble coffee products having the appearance of chewing roast ground coffee.

  Surprisingly, the addition of small particle size roast ground coffee to freeze-dried soluble coffee products can cause the final product to be browned, so that the freeze-dried product is a freeze-dried coffee of the prior art I found that the product looks more like roasted ground coffee.

  The roasted ground coffee particles are preferably of colloidal size and have a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 100 microns or less, preferably 50 microns or less, more preferably 30 microns or less.

  Roasted ground coffee can comprise 5 to 30% of the lyophilized product by dry weight.

  Roasted ground coffee can be obtained by cryogenically grinding whole roasted coffee beans. However, preferably, roasted ground coffee is obtained by the grinding method of the present disclosure as described above with reference to FIG. In the method, roasted ground coffee is a component of ground and blended coffee intermediates.

  Roasted ground coffee can be incorporated into the product by high shear mixing. Preferably, where ground and blended coffee intermediates of the present disclosure are to be used, roasted ground coffee is incorporated using one of the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. .

  The color of the freeze-dried coffee end product is 13 to 30 La units, preferably 16 to 25 La units, more preferably 17 to 20 La units, on Lange scale.

  The density of soluble coffee products also affects color. Generally, the higher the product density, the more brown it becomes. However, it is not desirable that the density of the soluble product be too high. Thus, the present disclosure provides a flexible option that can be used separately (or in combination) to adjust product density to select a desired product color.

  FIG. 8 represents the results of the first set of three sample products A to C. For all three samples A to C, the total solids (soluble coffee solids and, if applicable, roast grind coffee solids) concentration of the product fed to the lyophilizer is 50% and the drying time is 3. It was 37 hours. Samples A to C had the following characteristics.

Sample A (comparative example)
The concentrated extract of standard pure Robusta was frothed and lyophilized using known prior art procedures, without any roast ground coffee. The reference point 0 of the color change is set to the density 210 g / l of sample A. As density increases to 220 g / l, the color change is -1.5 La units. As the density increases to 230 g / l, the color change is -2.7 La units.

Sample B
In a freeze-dried product according to the method of FIG. 5a, where roast ground coffee was added after lathering, the final product contains 15% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 85% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent.

  Compared to sample A, sample B resulted in a browner product with a color change of -3.0 La units at a density of 210 g / l and -3.8 La units at a density of 220 g / l.

Sample C
In a freeze-dried product according to the method of FIG. 4a, where roasted ground coffee was added prior to foaming, the final product contains 15% roasted ground coffee by dry weight and 85% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent.

  Compared to sample A, sample C is more brown in color change-1.5 La units at a density of 210 g / l, -2.4 La units at a density of 220 g / l, and -3.4 La units at a density of 230 g / l. It became a product of

  The following table presents the results for the second set of two samples, Product D and Product E, which differ in solids concentration and drying time. The sample group D and the sample group E had the following characteristics.

Sample D (comparative example)
The concentrated extract of standard pure arabica was lathered and freeze dried without any roasted ground coffee. The color change reference point 0 was set at a sample density of 220 g / l for three conditions. Three conditions are: supply to the dryer 56% solids concentration and drying time 3 hours, supply to the dryer 60% solids concentration and drying time 3 hours, and feed to the dryer solid concentration The drying time is 56% and 3.37 hours.

Sample E
A freeze-dried product according to the method of FIG. 4a, in which roasted ground coffee was added prior to foaming, the final product contains 15% roasted ground coffee by dry weight and 85% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent, the density is It is 220 g / l. Three conditions identical to sample D were evaluated.

  As can be seen from the above data, the inclusion of roasted ground coffee achieves noticeable browning of the final product as compared to a pure soluble coffee product.

  The freeze-dried product is ground at step 23 if the particle size is 0.3 to 3.5 mm, preferably 0.3 to 2.5 mm, more preferably 0.3 to 1.5 mm. I also found that coffee is more intoxicating.

  The ground and blended coffee product described above or the soluble coffee product described above or the freeze-dried soluble coffee product described above may be placed in a container such as a jar 101 as shown in FIG. 9 for sale. Alternatively, the ground and blended coffee product or soluble coffee product or lyophilised soluble coffee product may be placed in a container suitable for use in a beverage preparation machine. For example, FIG. 10 shows a suitable container in the form of a cartridge 102 that can be used in the beverage preparation machine 103 shown in FIG.

  The product comprises one or more additional beverage ingredients such as natural sweeteners or artificial sweeteners, dairy based creamers or non-dairy based creamers, lactose, vegetable fats, whey proteins, emulsifiers, stabilizers, Modified starches, carriers, fillers, flavoring agents, coloring agents, nutrients, preservatives, flow agents or foaming agents may be contained.

Claims (51)

Coffee grinding method,
a) introducing into the grinding chamber particles of roasted coffee precursor;
b) introducing soluble coffee particles into the grinding chamber;
c) injecting a gas into the grinding chamber to mobilize the roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles;
d) causing the particles of the roasted coffee precursor to collide in the grinding chamber, and causing the particles of the soluble coffee to collide with the particles of the roasted coffee precursor, the roasted coffee precursor Producing a ground and blended coffee product by grinding particles of material.   The coffee grinding process according to claim 1, wherein the roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles are mixed together prior to introduction into the grinding chamber.   Coffee grinding according to claim 1, characterized in that the roasted coffee precursor particles and the soluble coffee particles are introduced separately into the grinding chamber.   A method according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the roasted coffee precursor particles in step a) are at a temperature between 5 and 30 degrees Celsius.   5. A coffee grinding process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the grinding chamber is not subjected to cryogenic cooling during steps b), c) and d).   The ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) is characterized in that it comprises 10 to 80% by weight dry roasted ground coffee and 20 to 90% by weight dry soluble coffee. The coffee grinding method according to any one of 5.   The ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) is characterized in that it comprises 10 to 70% by weight dry roasted ground coffee and 30 to 90% by weight dry soluble coffee. 6. The coffee grinding method according to any one of 6.   The ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) is characterized in that it comprises 15 to 50% by weight dry roasted ground coffee and 50 to 85% dry weight soluble coffee. The coffee grinding method according to any one of 7.   9. The ground and blended coffee product produced in step d) comprises 50% by weight dry ground coffee and 50% by weight dry soluble coffee. Coffee grinding method as described in.   Coffee grinding according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step d), as a result of said grinding, the ground and blended coffee product has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 40 microns or less. Method.   Coffee grinding according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step d), as a result of the grinding, the ground and blended coffee product has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 30 microns or less. Method.   The coffee grinding method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the roasted coffee precursor particles are whole roasted coffee beans.   The coffee grinding method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the roasted coffee precursor particles are coarse roasted coffee beans.   The coffee grinding method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the soluble coffee particles are spray-dried instant coffee particles, freeze-dried instant coffee particles, or a mixture thereof.   The coffee grinding method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gas injected into the grinding chamber in step b) is nitrogen, air or a mixture thereof.   The coffee grinding process according to claim 15, wherein the gas is at a temperature between -20 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature.   A ground and blended coffee product made by the method of any of claims 1-16. A method of forming a freeze-dried soluble coffee product, comprising:
i) forming a concentrated coffee extract;
ii) frothing and prefrozen the concentrated coffee extract to form a frothed and prefrozen coffee intermediate;
iii) freezing said frothed and pre-frozen coffee intermediate to form a frozen coffee intermediate;
iv) grinding and sieving the frozen coffee intermediate to form a ground coffee intermediate;
v) drying the ground coffee intermediate to form the lyophilised soluble coffee product.
Ground and blended coffee intermediates are incorporated prior to step ii) and / or step iii)
A method characterized in that the ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 10 to 80% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. A method of forming a spray dried soluble coffee product comprising:
i) forming a concentrated coffee extract;
ii) frothing the concentrated coffee extract to form a frothed coffee intermediate;
iii) optionally filtering and homogenizing the frothed coffee intermediate to form a filtered and homogenized coffee intermediate;
iv) spray drying the frothed coffee intermediate or the filtered and homogenized coffee intermediate to form the spray dried soluble coffee product;
Ground and blended coffee intermediates are incorporated prior to step ii) and / or step iv)
A method characterized in that the ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 10 to 80% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 20 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight.   19. The ground and blended coffee intermediate according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that it comprises 10 to 70% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 30 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight. Method.   21. The ground and blended coffee intermediate according to any of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that it comprises 15 to 50% by weight dry roasted coffee and 50 to 85% by weight dry soluble coffee. the method of.   22. A method according to any of claims 18 to 21, wherein the ground and blended coffee intermediate comprises 50% dry ground coffee roasted coffee and 50% dry weight soluble coffee.   A method according to any of claims 18 to 22, characterized in that the ground and blended coffee intermediate has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 40 microns or less.   A method according to any of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that the ground and blended coffee intermediate has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 30 microns or less.   19. The freeze-dried coffee product or the spray-dried coffee product according to claim 18, characterized in that it comprises 5 to 30% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 70 to 95% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent. The method according to any of 24.   19. The freeze-dried coffee product or the spray-dried coffee product according to claim 18, characterized in that it comprises 10 to 20% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 80 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent. The method according to any of 25.   27. A method according to any of claims 18 to 26, characterized in that the freeze-dried coffee product or the spray-dried coffee product comprises 15% by weight dry ground coffee and 85% dry weight soluble coffee. Method described.   28. A method according to any of claims 18 to 27, wherein the ground coffee and soluble coffee intermediate coffee comprises spray dried instant coffee, freeze dried instant coffee, or a mixture thereof.   Method according to any of claims 20 to 28, characterized in that said ground coffee intermediate before drying has a total coffee solids concentration of 52% or more and 63% or less. .   29. A method according to any of claims 20 to 28, wherein the coffee intermediate before drying has a total coffee solids concentration of 52% or more and 63% or less.   31. A method according to claim 29 or claim 30, wherein the total coffee solids concentration is 56% to 60%.   32. A soluble coffee product made by the method of any of claims 18-31.   A freeze-dried soluble coffee product comprising 5 to 30% roasted ground coffee by dry weight and 70 to 95% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent, said roasted ground coffee having a dry Helos particle size of less than 100 microns. A lyophilised soluble coffee product having a distribution D90, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a color of 13 to 30 La units on the Lange scale.   34. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to claim 33, characterized in that it comprises 10 to 20% roast ground coffee by dry weight and 80 to 90% soluble coffee by dry weight equivalent.   35. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to claim 33 or 34, characterized in that it comprises 15% by dry weight roast ground coffee and 85% by dry weight equivalent soluble coffee.   36. A lyophilized soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 35, wherein the roasted ground coffee has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 50 microns or less.   37. A lyophilized soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 36, wherein the roasted ground coffee has a dry Helos particle size distribution D90 of 30 microns or less.   38. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 37, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a color of 16 to 25 La units at the Lange scale.   39. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 38, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a color of 17 to 20 La units on the Lange scale.   40. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 39, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a density of 185 to 265 g / l.   41. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 40, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a density of 205 to 235 g / l.   42. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 41, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a density of 225 g / l.   43. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 42, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a particle size range of 0.3 to 3.5 mm.   44. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 43, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a particle size range of 0.3 to 2.5 mm.   45. A lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33 to 44, characterized in that the lyophilised soluble coffee product has a particle size range of 0.3 to 1.5 mm.   A container containing a ground and blended coffee product according to claim 17 or a soluble coffee product according to claim 32 or a lyophilised soluble coffee product according to any of claims 33-45.   Said container is a container suitable for use in a bottle, jar, can, refill pack, sachet, stick pack, filter bag or beverage preparation machine, the soft pad being at least partially formed of filter material, 47. A container according to claim 46, characterized in that it is a container, such as a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible cartridge, formed of a substantially air-impermeable and water-impermeable material.   Natural or artificial sweeteners, dairy-based creamers or non-dairy-based creamers, lactose, vegetable fats, whey proteins, emulsifiers, stabilizers, modified starches, carriers, bulking agents, flavoring agents, coloring agents, 48. A container according to claim 46 or 47, further containing one or more additional beverage ingredients, such as nutrients, preservatives, flow agents or foams.   Use in a beverage preparation machine, such as a soft pad at least partially formed of a filter material, or a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible cartridge formed of a substantially air and water impermeable material 33. A beverage preparation machine in combination with at least one container suitable for use as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one container is a ground and blended coffee product according to claim 17 or a soluble coffee product according to claim 32 or claim Item 46. A beverage preparation machine containing the freeze-dried soluble coffee product according to any one of Items 33 to 45.   43. A method of making a beverage comprising the ground and blended coffee product of claim 17 or the soluble coffee product of claim 32 or the freeze-dried soluble coffee product of any of claims 33-45 A method characterized in that it comprises the step of mixing with a liquid, preferably hot water.   51. The method of claim 50, wherein the mixing step is performed by a beverage preparation machine.